"The issue first surfaced after author Jeff VanderMeer noticed that one of his caption-less Instagram posts - a simple video of a bunny eating a banana - appeared in Google search results with a clickbait-style headline that he did not write. Other posts, including one from a Massachusetts public library, were similarly given promotional headlines unrelated to the original content."
"Google has included more social media content in its search results over the years. Starting on July 10, Instagram made public posts from professional accounts searchable in Google. 404 Media confirmed that this behavior affects multiple users. In another example, a cosplayer's video appeared in search results with a headline about discovering cosplay locations in Seattle, despite the user never writing anything resembling that description. Google informed 404 Media that it is not generating these headlines and instead pulls the text directly from Instagram."
"Meta, in a statement to the outlet, later confirmed that Instagram has recently started using AI to generate titles for posts shown in search engines, stating that the feature is intended to help people better understand content, while acknowledging that the titles are not always accurate. The company directed users to a Help Center page that explained how to opt out of search engine indexing."
Instagram has begun automatically generating AI-created headlines and descriptions for posts that appear in Google Search results, sometimes adding clickbait or promotional framing that users did not write. The autogenerated titles are embedded in page title tags and intended for search engines, making them invisible to regular visitors on Instagram. Instances include caption-less videos and unrelated promotional headlines for library and cosplayer posts. Google says it pulls text from Instagram rather than generating it. Meta confirmed the recent AI-generated titles and provided an opt-out through search engine indexing settings. Creators warn the practice misrepresents content and degrades search quality.
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